A casino’s RTP is a mathematical figure that shows how much is returned to players on average in prize payouts from an online casino. This can be expressed as a percentage, and for the best slot machines it goes as high as 100%. The chances of winning at a slot are higher as the RTP increases. The term comes from Return to Player, which translates to “return to player”. The gambling establishment charges a commission for the service. This is what makes the difference between 100% and the actual RTP figure.
The RTP figure is usually determined by the developers during the programming phase and is fixed. The pseudo-random number generator controlling the machine will endeavor to maintain a set bet-to-payout ratio, increasing or decreasing the frequency of winnings or their size depending on the current balance. This happens automatically and does not require human input.
In the near future, the RTP may be changed. For example, if a slot wins a very large win during a game, its return percentage may exceed one hundred percent at that point in time. On the other hand, a slot machine’s RTP falls below average if it hasn’t seen big payouts recently. Nevertheless, Return to Player is always at a certain level in the long-term evaluation.
At online casinos, the staff usually cannot control the RTP settings, so they cannot change them. The only game developer who is an independent firm has this right. However, this only applies to licensed casinos. Illegal organizations using pirated software can change it. Thus, the real RTP of a casino without a license can be much lower than it is stated “on paper”.
What is House Benefit and how does it differ from RTP? House benefit is a value that is the inverse of RTP and shows the benefit of the casino. It can be calculated by subtracting the return rate from one hundred percent. At 95% RTP, HA will be equal to 5%. Game developers and online casinos earn exactly on this percentage of betting turnover.
A casino’s RTP is determined by calculating the average return percentage across all games. For example, if an establishment has ten slots with values of 93, 94, 94.5, 95, 95.5, 96, 96.8, 97, 98 and 99%, the average would be 95.88%. In reality, third-party auditing companies are in the business of verifying that claimed RTP figures are consistent. eCOGRA, iTech Labs, Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) and Technical Systems Testing (TST) are the best known of these. You can find links to the relevant certificates on the company’s website to confirm that it has undergone such verification.